Broil burner for self-cleaning oven



United States Patent Oflice 3,511,223 Patented May 12, 1970 BROIL BURNER FOR SELF-CLEANING OVEN John A. Welshofer, Cleveland, and Earl T. Rhinehart,

Apison, Tenn., assignors to Magic Chef, Inc., Cleveland, Tenn.

Filed Dec. 2, 1968, Ser. No. 780,462 Int. Cl. F24c 3/04 US. Cl. 126-41 6 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A downwardly open channel-shaped annular chamber has means for introducing a gas and air mixture therein. The annular chamber surrounds a flue chamber having top and bottom walls, each having a central opening, a laterally extending flue duct communicates with the upper opening and extends laterally over the annular chamber. A perforated, upwardly curved ring of sheet metal closes the bottom of the annular chamber and serves as a radiant element. A battle disc is mounted below and spaced from the flue chamber to force oven gases through the burner flame before they enter the flue chamber.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to gas burners and particularly broiling burners located in the top of an open enclosure and particularly adapted for use in a self-cleaning gasfired oven.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The invention comprises generally an annular sheet metal structure defining a channel-shaped chamber open at its bottom and covered by a perforated metal ring concaved upwardly. Means are provided for supplying gas and air to the chamber for combustion at the perforated ring whereby the latter becomes radiantly hot. The burner structure also defines a flue compartment within the ring described above which compartment communicates with a flue conduit and has a central opening in its bottom. A circular baifie is supported from the structure spaced downwardly from the opening and of such diameter as to force all gases, smoke, odors and the like, seeking exit through the flue, to pass through the burner flame before entering the flue chamber. The burner is so constructed that the radiant ring is substantially flush with the liner defining the top of the oven cavity and substantially all of the burner structure is located exteriorally of the oven cavity above the liner.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a burner embodying the present invention in position in a range, parts of which are shown in section;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the burner of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view along the line 3-3 of FIG. 1, with other parts shown in elevation.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring to the drawings, numeral 2 identifies the back wall of an oven compartment in a range 4 and the top wall of the oven compartment is identified by numeral 6. The top wall comprises the customary sheet metal liner but is provided with a large opening 8 therein. The broil burner structure is of generally circular configuration but is provided with a projecting portion 10 (see FIG. 2) to be referred to later. A sheet of metal is formed to define an annular and generally channelshaped chamber 12. The chamber is essentially defined by a downwardly open annular channel portion 14 having an outer flange 16 terminating in a short downwardly extended flange 18. The inner periphery of the annular chamber 12 extends radially inwardly to define a wall 20, to be referred to later, having an opening 22 centrally located therein. A sheet 24 of stainless steel or the like is secured to the bottom face of the structure just described and a perforated portion 26 thereof extends across the open bottom of the channel 14. As shown, the portion 26 is curved upwardly to extend slightly within the channel shaped chamber 12. A lower plate 28 underlies the steel plate 24 and serves to hold the same in assembled relation to the sheet 14. The sheets 24 and 28 are each provided with central openings 30 and 32 aligned with the opening 22 previously described. These aligned openings are located centrally of the burner structure and somewhat inwardly of the inner margin of the annular chamber 12. The projecting portion 10, previously referred to, is hollow and in open communication with the annular chamber 12 and defines an entrance chamber to the annular chamber. A conduit 34 (FIG. 2) extends outwardly from the portion 10 and constitutes an inlet conduit for a gas and air mixture to introduce the same into the chamber 12 for combustion in the perforated portion 26. It is, of course, contemplated that suitable pilot burner means or other ignition means be provided to ignite the fuel.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, a cover plate 36 extends over the space radially inwardly of the annular chamber 12 and with the bottom wall structure previously described defines a flue chamber 38, with which the openings 22, 30 and 32 communicate. The top wall 36 is provided with a central opening 40 somewhat smaller in diameter than the openings 22, 30 and 32, but axially aligned therewith. A generally rectangular flue conduit 42 overlies and is secured to the top wall 36 and it is provided with an opening 44 aligned with the opening 40. The flue conduit 42 extends radially of the burner structure generally parallel to the conduit 34 and extends over the annular chamber 12, over the rear wall 2, and communicates with a flue stack 44 of more or less conventional structure.

A plurality of spacers 46 (see FIG. 3) and bolts 48 secure a circular bafile plate 50 to the burner struc ture while holding the same spaced downwardly therefrom, as shown. The baflle plate 50 is of a generally circular configuration of substantially the same diameter as the inner margin of the chamber 12 and is imperforate except for the holes through which bolts 48 extend.

As shown, the burner structure is positioned within the opening 8 in the liner top with substantially the entire structure of the broiler burner being positioned above the top wall. The flange 16 previously referred to is of greater diameter than the opening 8 and abuts downwardly facing surface of the liner top to thus define a substantially continuous top to the oven compartment wherein the radiant portion 26 and the burner flame will be substantially flush with that top Wall. As shown in FIG. 2, a suitable conduit 52 conducts gas and/or a gas and air mixture into the conduit 34 for delivery to the annular chamber 12.

Hot exhaust gases enter the flue chamber through opening 22, and since opening 44 is smaller than 22 the path of gases through flue chamber 38 is generally convergent, thus directing the hot gases away from the inner wall of chamber 12.

While a single embodiment of the invention has been described herein, the same is merely exemplary of the principles of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A broil burner structure for a gas fired oven, comprising: means defining an annular chamber having inner and outer walls, a top wall and having an open bottom; a ring of perforated sheet metal secured over said open bottom and being curved transversely of said chamber; conduit means communicating with said annular chamber for conducting fuel thereo; a cover plate over and secured to said annular chamber to define a flue chamber encompassed by said annular chamber; a first central opening in said cover plate; a flue duct overlying and secured to said cover plate, communicating with said central opening and extending laterally over the top wall of said annular chamber and outwardly therefrom.

2. A broil burner structure as defined in claim 1 wherein said conduit means extends laterally from said annular chamber substantially parallel to said flue duct.

3. A broil burner structure as defined in claim I including a bottom wall for said flue chamber, with a seccond central opening therethrough, said first and second central openings establishing a flow path for hot gases through said flue chamber spaced inwardly from the adjacent wall of said annular chamber.

4. A broil burner structure as defined in claim 3 including a generally circular imperforate baffle secured to said structure below and spaced downwardly from said bottom wall, the outer periphery of said baflie being substantially vertically aligned with the inner margin of said annular chamber.

5. A broil burner structure as defined in claim 4 wherein said baflle is secured to said bottom wall by spaced spacer means between said second central opening and said annular chamber.

6. A broil burner structure as defined in claim 1 wherein said structure extends upwardly through an aperture in the top wall of an oven liner defining an oven cavity, there being a flange extending outwardly from the lower margin of the outer wall of said annular chamber and abutting the lower face of said top wall around the margin of said aperture whereby the major portion of said burner structure is outside said oven cavity.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,164,079 6/1939 :Parlter 1264l 2,323,821 7/1943 Lindemann et a]. l2641 X 3,437,085 4/1969 Perry 431-173 X CHARLES J. MYHRE, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 431173, 347 

